Beer: Reviews & Ratings

L:-pours a clear ruby with a medium to big,frothy,beige head-high carbonation visibleS:-grainy,sour cherries,caramel,brown sugar,orange zestT:-plums,raisins,dates,slight caramel,cherries,candi sugar,herbsF:-light to medium body-medium carbonation-faint alcohol warmingO:Compared to other Dubbels there is no real Belgian Yeast character to this.This reminded me more of an english strong ale than a Belgian Dubbel.Overall it's very good though. (457 characters)

Taste: Pretty much follows the smell - plenty of malt, spice and fruit with a wonderfully complex, fruity aftertaste. Bit of dark sugar and molasses thrown in to the mix too - it's surprisingly sweet with a hint of alcohol.

Feel: Medium feel, helped to a certain degree by the sweetness. Moderate amount of carbonation to keep things interesting.

Overall: As dubbels go, this isn't at all bad - it's unlikely to be a revelatory life-changer but that doesn't mean it's not worthy of attention. Insofar as dubbels and their ilk can be considered 'easy' drinking, this one is - definitely a good entry point to the style. A good, solid beer. (1,019 characters)

This is a pretty nice dubbel that I had on tap. It looks very nice and undeniably Belgian. The nose is very yeasty with some doughy alcohol and spices. The flavor is a bit thin and very sweet. It is light-medium bodied with a lingering sweetness. Fairly drinkable though I feel like it could be more substantive, less sweet, and a little heftier. Didn't change my life, worth a shot if you've never had it and like Belgians. (430 characters)

Pint on tap at National Beer Hall in Calgary. A dark reddish brown with a single finger of light beige frothy head. Aroma is notably sweet and fruity, lots of grape, prune, apple, pear, and peach notes with faint cinnamon and brown sugar. Palate is similarly sweet, with the expected brown spice or cola-like elements ratcheted down in favor of fruit roll up and a caramel sweetness that becomes quite cloying as one proceeds through a full pint. Faintly sour at times but the overarching effect of caramel-drizzled fruitcake is difficult to ignore. Body on the thin side and the carbonation is higher than expected. Should be drier. I do not consider this to be a great dubbel. Some fruitiness is pleasant but should not be the dominant flavor in this style. Avoid in favor of more authentic examples, which are plenty easy to obtain. (835 characters)

Branded on the label over Grimbergen's flagship phoenix is the phrase "Ardet nec consumitur" - "burns but does not perish". In fact, the Double (or Dubbel or Ambrée depending on your market) does both; its sooty, dark complexion becomes aflame when held into the light and its head all but withers not long after the pour, leaving only a thin, glassy sheet over the top.

Don't for a second buy into the brewery's claim about heritage dating back to 1128 - beer may have been brewed in the town of Grimbergen since around that time, but this particular recipe is much newer than that and is currently manufactured, not in an abbey, but rather a collection of industrial facilities belonging to the subsidiaries of its current owner, Heineken. It may be named after monastery with 12th century roots, but that's about as far as it goes.

Granted, this is not to say the beer is without integrity. To be sure, it's a thinner, sweeter, and slightly weaker version of a Dubbel - something better suited to mainstream tastes - but this recipe has retained a good deal of the style's characteristics. Both the aroma and taste are distinguished by a strong raisin-y flavour, hints of spice, orange peel, and an almost molasses-like maltiness.

The Technicolour dried fruit notes and gentle fruit-cake spicing are all well and good, but Grimbergen is lacking where it counts most for a Dubbel: the mouthfeel. As stated, this is thinner and sweeter than others, and as such fails to provide the same level of satiation. It is pleasant and easily quaffed, but great examples of the style are mind-bogglingly complex as well.

Grimbergen is a mass-produced beer which means, like mass-produced anything, it offers average-quality at best. But if you're new to dark, Belgian, or Abbaye beers it's one you'll likely fall in love with (that is, until you try the likes of Westmalle, St. Bernardus, Rochefort, or Corsendonk). But even experienced drinkers are still likely to find it a perfectly serviceable, enjoyable ale. I do. (2,015 characters)

250ml Bottle (Gift from France):A very nice Belgian beer here that didn't pour great but started to pick up soon after that, it was malty and had some sweetness in there giving it a fairly basic but pleasant taste that was well balanced and went down quite easily. There was a touch of alcohol on the nose but this didn't seem to follow through to the taste in any significant way, a good beer and one I wouldn't be against trying again. (438 characters)

A – Dark reddish brown colour with a finger of murky cream coloured head. The head dies to a thin cover and leaves very light lace down the side of my chalice.

S – Aromas of prune, raisins and plum. Good toffee sweetness and red grape wine aromas. There is a note of alcohol in the red grape wine smell but no hops to be smelt.

T – The flavour is very similar to the smell. Plenty of dark fruit with red wine alcohol, deep syrup/toffee sweetness with a slightly Smokey character and a light note of biscuit flavours.

MF – Very full in the mouth but with a slightly drying edge.

O – A cracking example of the style this beer has no flavour out of place. I have come across other that had more complex flavour but this beer gets by just fine doing what it does and doing it well. (792 characters)

One of the draft offerings at Craft Beer Market in Calgary.Slightly hazy/murky, reddish port color with a tall, fluffy head that lasted the whole glass and left nice looking lace'Smells of sweet caramel, dark fruit, maybe even some oak.Taste has lots of the same caramel malt, raisin or plum, woody finish. Definately more sweeter flavors than hops or bitterness.Medium body, almost creamy, low carbonation, smooth finish.Not the best dubbel, but certainly no complaints. (479 characters)

Appearance: Pours a clear red/brown color with a bubbly tan head. No lacing left behind. The overall appearance of this beer is above average.

Smell: Caramel malt and dark fruit sweetness galore. No hops, though I wasn't expecting them, at least on the nose. Not a huge depth of flavor, but very pleasant, and also quite sweet. Quite nice.

Taste/feel: Moderate carbonation with a surprisingly full body are the highlight of this beer. A lot of sweetness, but remains drinkable as hell through it all. Zero off-flavors. Great for the style/those who enjoy malty/sugary sorts of beers. Substantial dark fruit and bready flavors. Not a huge flavor depth, but this doesn't need it. Great example of the style. (707 characters)

S: Fruity, with a hint of caramel and a trace of sour. "Farmhouse Ale" was the first thing that came to mind.

T: Very easy to drink; plenty of raisins, dark cherries and a little bit of apple. Good balance of sweet and sour; really no hop bitterness to speak of. For some reason, it tasted like it had a higher ABV than it does.

M: Fairly thin, but not unpleasant. Not a lot of carbonation.

O: I'm fairly new to the style, but I liked this dubbel; it goes down very easily, and while it lacks a powerful character, it does make for a very pleasant experience. I'll definitely be buying more of this one. (726 characters)

M: very clean, lightly slick and silky, nearly crisp... rubbery edges to it, but it feels like a satisfyingly robust brew even at 6.5% - only a little sense of the alcohol on the edges... purely invigorating and moreish to drink... wonderfully level and dry

O: strange and somewhat delicious, industrial abbey ale... feel like it's sacrilege, this being filtered, but it makes for a clean, refreshing drink - compared to the lot of bottle-conditioned dubbels, the flavors here are bright and explosive (1,074 characters)

Found this at a tavern while on vacation in Greece recently. I remembered that I thought it was fantastic, but that might have been because I had been forced to drink many truly pedestrian pilsners and lagers on the trip; it seems that at least 95% of establishments there only have Amstel, Heineken and a few other local beers; almost nobody makes an effort to get good beers into the country. This looked, smelled, tasted and felt great and yet somewhat lighter that I would have thought. Still, I was so thankful when I stumbled upon the bar that had it and a few other imports (Blue Moons as well) on tap. A nice drink! (623 characters)

Pours a very dark red colour with a very creamy looking head - which unfortunately disappears rather quickly. Smells like cherries, licorise and malt - very nice. Even while only 6.5%, it has a strong taste of alcohol. The malts are very well balanced by the hop bitterness - just enough to make it neither too sweet nor too bitter. Warm caramel flavours mingle with the malts. It has a very smooth mouthfeel, not at all dry. Just a hint more carbonation would do some good. Overall this beer is definitely worth a try and I'll be buying it again for sure. (556 characters)

Paid almost $15 for a six pack, that's the last time I buy it. pours with a lacy tan head and looks nice in the glass giving off a glowing mahogany color. Taste is too sweet for my liking and has an overwhelming note of sour apples. I've had much better Dubbels in the past, this one just doesn't live up to expectations. It was a chore to polish off all six bottles since I didn't find it very enjoyable at all. (412 characters)

Had on tap at T.J. Finley's, Bay Shore NY. A good deep brown with head and lacing very ample. It has a wonderfully tart fruity sugar and spice smell, which carries through in the flavor. The brown sugar and raisin taste is balanced by the hops, which evenly accentuate the drinking experience without dominating. The feel is lighter than some others, but that only helps make this a highly drinkable beer. I've had Grimbergen in the bottle as well - either way, solidly recommendable. (484 characters)